EVEN IF

I was the one who discovered her – slumped over in her chair, mouth open, eyes staring at nothing. “Grandma! Grandma! Can you hear me? Are you OK?” There was no response. Tentatively, I tried to lift her to a sitting position, but she fell forward again, totally limp.

This is it. She’s gone. Heart pounding, I called for my parents.

“She’s still breathing.” At my mom’s quick appraisal I breathed a small sigh of relief. But we weren’t out of danger yet. I snapped into crisis mode, helping mom and dad maneuver my one-hundred-year-old grandmother into her bed.

As my mom and I scurried around checking Grandma’s blood pressure or putting a cool cloth on her forehead, my dad hardly left her side. “It’s OK, Mom,” he stroked her hand tenderly, “We’re right here. We love you.” Then, as he smoothed the sheets and adjusted the pillow under her head, I heard him murmur, “Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.”

Suddenly all the tension of the last several minutes came tumbling to the surface and I wanted to scream – Grandma may be dying! How can you be thanking God at a time like this?

Do you have an “even if” faith? Are you willing to give a sacrifice of thanksgiving in the face of pain, loss, or even death? Settle it at the extreme – resolve to give thanks in the “even if” places in your life!